This invention relates to golf putters, and more particularly to an improved such putter which has mounted thereon a sight line which can be adjusted to compensate for any inherent misalignment of a player""s putting/stroke. Even more particularly, this invention relates to an improved such putter which considerably reduces the time and cost of compensating for one""s putting stroke misalignment.
For many years there have been developed a variety of systems and apparatus for detecting and correcting the misalignment of one""s putting stroke. Once the misalignment has been detected, there are numerous devices for modifying a putter to compensate for the misalignment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,415, for example, discloses a putter sighting device which is adjustably clamped onto a shaft of a conventional putter to be observed by the player when he or she is putting. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,193 discloses a variety of rather complexedly shaped putters having formed therein sighting notches, and a specially shaped socket in which is secured at the lower end a conventional golf club shaft. The applicant herein has also developed putting stroke correcting apparatus, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,984 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,150. This last named apparatus detects a golfer""s inherent misalignment of the face of a putter during a putting stroke, and solves the matter by forming on the head of the putter a corrective sighting line or notch that is inclined to the conventional sighting line which is usually formed on the head of the putter to extend normal to the face of the putter that is to be engaged with a golf ball.
The above-noted apparatus have proved to be extremely helpful in correcting a player""s tendency to slightly misalign the face of the putter during a putting stroke. However, in prior such apparatus the solution has been to fix a corrective sighting line onto the top of the putter head for observance by the player. In many instances this amounts to a rather temporary solution, because while the corrective sighting line might serve the purpose for a reasonable period of time, it is not at all unusual for certain players once again to find that they are experiencing further misalignment of the putter face. This may well lead to further testing and subsequent additional marking of a new corrective sighting line on the putter.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved putter, which will considerably minimize the time and expense involved in providing corrective sighting lines of the type noted above.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved putter, which has mounted thereon a single sighting line which can be readily adjusted to provide any one of a number of different sighting lines on the putter.
More specifically this invention relates to an improved such putter having a sighting line and support therefor which are mounted for limited adjustment in opposite directions about an axis extending in spaced, parallel relation to the putter face.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
A putter head has thereon a plane, flat front surface or face for engagement with a golf ball, and has therein rearwardly of the front surface a recess for accommodating an adjustable sighting line support. The support is adjustably secured in the recess for limited rotational adjustment about an axis spaced from and extending parallel to the face of the putter head. The support has on its upper surface a sighting line registering at one end with the head""s face, and adjustable by the support to extend normal to the putter face, or into any one of a number of different positions in which the line is inclined at other than 90xc2x0 to the face of the putter head.